Blaze
by Geministarz
Summary: Mysterious fires start showing up everywhere in Sunnydale, and as the gang researches, Spike finds the source.


Blaze  
  
.:I started writing this back in season five, but I think you can fit it in just about anywhere:.  
  
Sometimes you get a feeling that something important is about to happen, something that will change your life forever, but you don't have any idea what it is. Usually, you'll stumble across whatever it is, and not have the slightest idea that you just found the thing you've been looking for, but later on, you can pinpoint the minute your life changed. And sometimes you see something, or someone, and you just know that never again can your life be as it was before.  
  
Spike shook his head, looking at the smoldering ruins before him. There had been so many fires lately that the fighters couldn't keep up with them all, and usually had to leave as soon as the flames were gone. This was one of those cases. Casually, because he had nothing else better to do, Spike stepped into the remains of the building. Someone's house had mysteriously caught on fire, as had many before. No one could explain the many conflagrations that had been occurring, and the Scooby gang was busy trying to figure out what kind of demon could be causing them.  
  
With a sigh of misery, Spike thought back on the times he had been the cause of something like this. Then he heard something that scared him half to dea- never mind. It couldn't be. Even in there rush the firefighters would've noticed a person among the ashes. There was no way... All those beers had to be causing brain damage. But- there it was again. A sob. Curious, he moved towards the sound, pausing to listen again several times to find the area they were in. Then he found himself in the remains of a room and there was... Walking over to the far wall, he reached up and ran his fingers over the small, hardly visible crack. He pushed slightly and the panel pushed back to reveal a hidden room.  
  
The girl looked up as soon as he entered. She had fiery red hair, and her face was stained with tears. She was huddled up in the corner with a terrified expression on her face, and her clothes were partially burned. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she stammered before she started sobbing again.  
  
Feeling more than a little awkward, Spike carefully walked over to her. "Do what, love?" he asked. "You mean the fire? Did you start it?"  
  
She nodded. "I was just so mad at them, and then it started and I ran in here... Did they get away?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm not sure, love. I think so," he told her. He hadn't exactly lied, he hadn't seen anyone on headed to a hospital, but the whole place reeked of burning flesh. Something occurred to him, and he moved closer to her. "What about you? Are you hurt?"  
  
"No," she mumbled. "The fire was all over the place, but it didn't burn me. It never does."  
  
"So you've done this before?"  
  
She looked at him with a horrified expression. "No!" she exclaimed. "I mean, never on purpose, and never at home!"  
  
"Hey, calm down," he said, kneeling down beside her. She flinched when he touched her, but he pulled his duster around her anyway. "I'm not blaming you, and I'm not gonna get you in trouble." There was a moment of silence, and when she didn't break it, he added, "That's some gift you've got. Burning things, that is. But you've got to learn to control it."  
  
"How?" she asked quietly, frightened.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think I know someone who can help," he said, thinking of Giles. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you," he told her at her expression. "I promise."  
  
She looked at him questioningly for a minute before slowly nodding. "Okay. If you'll stay with me."  
  
He thought about it for a second. He'd have to face the Slayer... but after their last few encounters he didn't think she could hate him more. "All right," he said, getting up. "I'll keep an eye out for ya."  
  
"Promise4?"  
  
He nodded. "Promise," he told her, offering a hand to help her up. She accepted, and he pulled her to her feet. She pulled his duster off her shoulders and tried to hand it back, but he shook his head. "Hang onto it. Your clothes aren't in very good condition, and it's pretty cold out."  
  
"Thanks," she mumbled. He slipped an arm around her and led her out of the structure that had once been her home.  
  
Xander looked around at the room of frustrated friends. They had been sitting in the Magic Box for three hours, trying to figure out what could be causing all the fires. "Okay," he said. "Let's try laying out what we know. What exactly do we know again, Giles?"  
  
He took off his glasses and looked thoughtfully at the boy. "Well," the ex- watcher began, "we know that none of the sights of the fires have held any evidence as to them being set, leading us to believe that a demon is involved."  
  
"And," Willow added, "they're in no particular order, with no known common connections."  
  
"Right," Xander said. "And that tells us what?"  
  
"Absolutely nothing," Giles informed him miserably. "We don't have a clue what type of demon could be causing this, and it's very easy to learn how to create a fire through magic, as Willow has shown us."  
  
Sighing, Xander said, "That's what I thought."  
  
"Well, Mr. Giles, why don't you guys check out the books some more, and me and Willow can check the Internet," Tara suggested.  
  
"Or better yet," Dawn said from the chair she was curled up in, "why don't you go out and look for the guy who did it?"  
  
"Dawn," Buffy said warningly.  
  
"Just a suggestion," she replied.  
  
"Actually, she might have a point," Anya said. "If it is a demon, they'd probably stick around to admire their handiwork."  
  
"See!" Dawn said, glaring at her sister.  
  
"Go away, Dawn," Buffy mumbled, rubbing her temples. "Just leave me alone. Go get eaten by some dumb vampire."  
  
"Buffy!" Giles exclaimed, shocked. "How can you even say that?"  
  
"Just a suggestion," Buffy said, mimicking her sister.  
  
There was a noise from the door of the shop, and after a second, it opened to reveal Spike. He was holding something, and after a closer inspection, Xander realized that it was a girl.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy yelled, noting the redhead's clothing and that she was apparently unconscious. "What did you do to her?"  
  
"Keep it down," he hissed. "She's asleep."  
  
"No I'm not," the girl mumbled. "Not anymore anyways."  
  
Spike carried her over the chair Xander was in. "Move," he said.  
  
Xander was about to reply, but instead obeyed, allowing him to put the girl down. "I don't get it. Why are you here, and what happened to her?"  
  
"Oh my gosh! Was she in one of the fires?" Willow exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah," he replied. "This is Blaze. She's the one who's been causing them."  
  
"But- she's human!" Giles said in disbelief. "How could she?"  
  
"I don't know, but she did," Spike said firmly. "She can't control it, and I thought you could help her."  
  
"Me?" Giles repeated. "What could I do?"  
  
Spike shrugged. "You helped the Slayer with her powers, and you're the one who knows about this kinda stuff. Don't get up, love," he told the girl. "You can go back to sleep, if you want."  
  
She shook her head. "I'm okay," she replied, looking nervously at the others in the room. "Who are they?"  
  
"This is Giles. He's the one I thought could help you," he informed her. "That's Anya, Xander, Willow, Tara, Dawn, and the Slayer," he said, pointing to each as he mentioned them.  
  
Blaze just stared at Buffy. It seemed to shake her up when he called her the Slayer. Buffy glared at him. "That's not my name," she said. "I'm Buffy." She took a step towards the girl, who scrambled backwards. Buffy stopped. "Or not."  
  
"It's all right, love, she won't hurt you. Defender of the innocent and all," Spike reassured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Can you help her, Giles? Cuz if not, I'll find someone else who can."  
  
"I can try," the ex-librarian said. "But she's going to have to be the one who learns how to do it. I don't have her powers, and can't possibly know how to control them. Did you say you were human?" he asked her.  
  
"Yeah," she mumbled, uncertain. "Why?"  
  
"I've just never heard of a human, other than a witch, who had control over fire," he replied. "You're not a witch, are you?"  
  
"Yeah, cuz we've already got two of those," Xander said.  
  
"No," she said.  
  
Giles started to ask her something else, but Dawn interrupted. "Um, hello?" she said. "Am I the only one noticing the charred remains of her clothes? Don't you think you should save twenty questions till after she's had a shower and changed?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Buffy said. "Sorry, I didn't think of it. You can come over to my place. Some of Dawn's stuff'll have to fit you."  
  
"Good idea," Giles said. "And you should all get some sleep. We could meet back here at, say, eleven thirty?"  
  
"Works for me," Xander said. "C'mon, Anya, let's go." She jumped up, and with a quick good-bye, they were gone. Willow and Tara left next, and Giles locked up as the other four went outside.  
  
"C'mon, Blaze. I'll get Giles to drop us off on his way home," Buffy said.  
  
She looked at Spike pleadingly, and he said, "Actually, I had wanted to stay with her, so if you don't mind, or even if you do, I'm coming."  
  
Buffy looked at him. "No you're not," she said. "You are unloved and unwanted!"  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes and looked at Blaze. "You wanna wait in the car? This could take a while." She looked at Spike and when he nodded, she followed Dawn.  
  
"Okay, Spike, I'm gonna lay it out plain and simple for you," Buffy said as soon as they were gone. "You are not coming home with me."  
  
"Then neither is she," he informed her.  
  
"Yes she is! You can't make her stay with you!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I'm not trying to. She's afraid of you," the vampire told her. "Didn't you see the way she looked at you? That was pure fear, and believe me, I'd know."  
  
"You don't know anything," she snapped.  
  
"Which is why I've killed two of your kind."  
  
"Which is why you now have a chip in your head that keeps you from hurting anything," she countered.  
  
He glared at her. "I'm not doing this. Not now. You want to get in a fight, it'll have to be later, and over something other than Blaze."  
  
"Okay. So say she is afraid of me," Buffy said. "What about you? Did you even tell her you're a vampire?"  
  
"Well, no," he admitted. "But that doesn't matter. She feels safe with me, and she's scared of you."  
  
Giles chose that moment to approach them. "I hate to say it, Buffy, but he has a point. She does trust him, and seems to genuinely fear you. There's no telling how she'd cope with being in your house."  
  
"Fine, side with the evil, bloodsucking creature," she snapped at Giles. "All right. But just for tonight. And I swear, if I catch you in my room, I'll-"  
  
He laughed, cutting her off. "You think I give a bloody damn?" he asked her.  
  
"Don't even start," Giles said. "Remember, your mother is still recovering, so I want you two to be on your best behavior."  
  
Buffy sighed. "I will be. But if you annoy her at all-" Spike silenced her by putting a finger on her lips. She smacked him. "Don't touch me!"  
  
Giles groaned and grabbed Buffy's arm, pulling her towards his car. "Come on," he muttered. "Spike, you're in the back with the girls."  
  
"And don't touch Dawn, either!"  
  
Spike looked at the Slayers younger sister as they approached the car. "Protective, isn't she?" he asked.  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
Spike glanced at the Slayer again. She was still glaring at him. Dawn had brought Blaze upstairs to let her shower and lend her some clothes while hers washed. Buffy had informed her mother that a few friends were staying the night, but promised they wouldn't bother her. She said she didn't mind, and hoped they had fun. Just as he was about to start pacing, Spike heard a noise from upstairs, followed by the sound of the two girls coming down.  
  
He glanced up, but jumped when he saw Blaze. "How cold was that water? You're turning blue!" And she was. Her lips were tainted a light bluish color, and she was shaking. Spike grabbed her and started rubbing her arms.  
  
She managed to smile at him, and said, "It's okay. This happens a lot, but usually a shower'll get rid of it."  
  
"This?" Buffy repeated. "What do you mean?" she demanded, moving closer to the girl.  
  
Blaze took a step away, and Spike went with her. "Stay there," he growled at Buffy. "You're scaring her."  
  
The young girl cuddled up against the vampire, and mumbled, "I just get really cold, for no reason at all. It started happening when I was twelve. Since then, it's just gotten worse, but never this bad."  
  
"I'll call Giles," Buffy said, grabbing the phone. She quickly dialed the number, and explained to him what was going on. After several minutes of "uh-huh" and "okay's", she said good-bye and hung up. "He said to try lighting a fire, because it might have something to do with her power over fire."  
  
Spike pulled his duster off and wrapped it around Blaze. "Right. I'll make the fire." Buffy frowned, but didn't move. Dawn stayed with the redhead, and Spike grabbed some wood and light a small fire below the mantle. After he got it going, he pulled Blaze over and sat down with her. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out," he reassured her.  
  
"Thanks," she replied. "For everything."  
  
He grinned. "No problem. You're worth it."  
  
Buffy knelt down on the other side of the girl, and she quickly shoved away from the blonde, sliding over to the other side of Spike. "What?" she asked. "What'd I do?"  
  
"Just back off, Buffy," Dawn said, sitting on Blaze's other side. "She doesn't like you."  
  
"You okay?" Spike asked the redhead. Some color was returning to her face, and her lips weren't blue anymore. "The fire helping?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Good," he replied, slipping his arm around her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."  
  
"Thanks," she said, leaning against him.  
  
"You already said that," he told her, grinning.  
  
"Oops."  
  
No one said anything for a few minutes, until Spike quietly said to Buffy, "I think we've lost them." Buffy looked over him to see that both Dawn and Blaze were asleep, Dawn leaning on the other girl, who was leaning on Spike.  
  
Carefully, she got up and picked up her little sister. "I'm gonna bring her to bed," she said softly. "Be right back." Spike didn't move, so she headed upstairs.  
  
When she came back down, Blaze was stretched out on the couch with Spike's duster covering her. The vampire was sitting on the floor next to her, watching the girl in case her body temperature dropped again. Buffy carefully sat down beside him.  
  
"So what's the deal? Why are you helping her?"  
  
"She needs it. Poor girl's terrified, not a friend in the world."  
  
"Except you, of course. But it's not like you. To be this nice to someone, I mean. Unless you're getting something out of it."  
  
"Or under a spell, as you know," he said with a smirk. It faded, and he continued, "I don't know. I just saw her sitting there, all crying, in the midst of chaos, and I wanted to help her, keep her safe, you know?"  
  
Buffy smiled. "I think I have an idea." 


End file.
